Politics & Government

7:46 am

Mon December 17, 2012

"Fiscal Cliff" could cost Alabama thousands of jobs

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama officials say the state stands to lose thousands of jobs and millions in revenue for schools if the president and Congress don't reach an agreement before the country goes over the "fiscal cliff." Gov. Robert Bentley said there would be cuts in everything. Research by the National Governors Association estimates Alabama could lose 24,000 jobs. Another study puts it at nearly 39,000 jobs. About 18,000 out-of-work Alabamians would lose their extended unemployment benefits Jan. 1. And public schools would lose $80 to $100 million in federal funds that primarily help special-needs students and school lunch programs. The state would also lose an estimated $145 million because Alabama allows taxpayers to deduct their federal income taxes on their state tax returns, and federal taxes will be going up.